"So many people came for noodles today! Should we prepare more for tomorrow?" Mrs. Zhao suggested to Zhou Yan, her face beaming.

Zhou Yan smiled and shook his head. "This is just a temporary, false boom. It’s a sixty-cent bowl of noodles. After trying it once, they’ll wait a while before coming back. If we rashly increase our stock, we’ll likely not sell it all and end up losing money."

’Going from eighty servings to a hundred... if he could maintain that volume long-term, he’d be satisfied.’

Mrs. Zhao nodded, then said with another smile, "Today’s pork bone broth is so fragrant! Many customers praised it after eating, saying the noodle soup is even more delicious than before."

"That’s good," Zhou Yan replied with a smile. The bone broth was a small optimization he’d made. The original recipe actually used a stock made from pork bones, but he hadn’t had the means before, so he’d used beef bone broth instead.

Zhou Yan started to prepare the pig heads and chickens.

Braised meats wouldn’t sell too well at lunchtime. Many people liked to eat braised pig ears and head meat as a snack with alcohol; they weren’t dishes that paired well with a rice-based meal.

’Now that he’d launched the braised meats, he had to figure out how to break out from the competition of the three braised meat stalls at the entrance. First, he’d take a bite out of their share of the textile factory customers, then slowly build up his reputation.’

’His plan was to first let customers know at lunchtime that Zhou Yan Restaurant was selling braised meats. That way, he might be able to get a foothold faster in the evening.’

’After all, the post-work rush hour was only half an hour long. You had to fight for customers. Once the workers dispersed, he could be stuck with these three pig heads and two chickens.’

It was eleven-thirty.

The textile factory would be letting out soon.

Zhou Yan sliced two pounds of pig head meat and spread it out on a small, woven bamboo tray he had bought that morning, filling it completely.

He also mixed up a pound of cold-dressed chicken and put it in a wide-mouthed enamel basin.

He took out a bamboo tube filled with over a hundred bamboo skewers that had been sharpened to a point.

On another small bamboo tray, he laid a piece of new gauze and arranged half a chicken, two pig ears, a whole slab of pig head meat, and two pig snouts, packing it full.

He moved a long bench and placed it by the stove for cooking Kneeling Beef near the entrance, then arranged the four items in a row on top of it.

It was striking and eye-catching, and Mrs. Zhao could easily keep an eye on it from where she stood.

"These two pounds of pig head meat and over a pound of cold-dressed chicken... you’re just going to let everyone try it for free?" Mrs. Zhao’s heart ached a little. "The ingredients alone cost three yuan! If everyone just eats without buying, won’t it be a total loss?"

"You have to spend money to make money. If you don’t let people taste it first, how will they be willing to buy braised pig head meat and cold-dressed chicken at two-point-five yuan a pound?" Zhou Yan said with a smile, setting up a price sign he’d written earlier. "We’ll let everyone have a free taste at lunch today to build up some word-of-mouth. That’s how we’ll be able to sell those dozen or so pounds of pig head meat when they get off work tonight."

"Alright, I’ll listen to you," Mrs. Zhao nodded.

As they spoke, the bell signaling the end of the shift rang at the factory, and workers began to pour out of the main gate.

As they reached the restaurant’s entrance, their eyes were immediately drawn to the braised meats and cold-dressed chicken displayed on the long bench.

The sliced pig head meat had a glossy, reddish color, spread out on the bamboo tray, looking tantalizingly appetizing. The cold-dressed chicken in the wide-mouthed bowl was coated in red chili oil and sesame seeds. You could smell the fragrance of the chili oil—it looked so vibrant!

The tray next to it held whole pig ears and pig head meat. The color was gorgeous—a glossy, brilliant red, shimmering with oil, making one’s mouth water.

"Come on, come on, my dears, my worker brothers! Our restaurant has new braised meats and cold-dressed chicken, and everyone can try a piece for free! Free samples, come and get ’em! Just grab a skewer and help yourselves!" Mrs. Zhao called out with a wide smile.

"Come on, come on, it’s so yummy~~" Zhou Momo stood to the side, chiming in with a mumble. A skewer in her hand was loaded with cold-dressed chicken, and she was eating with such relish that her mouth was glistening with oil, her delicate eyebrows practically flying off her face in delight.